In a fiery response on Fox Sports, Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques slammed the four-game BBL suspension handed to Tom Curran for umpire intimidation, calling it a “character assassination.”
“We obviously don’t condone any behaviour towards the umpire or any or any umpiring staff,” Henriques stated, “but I still … don’t understand the decision.” His words clearly convey his disbelief and strong disagreement with the ruling.
Henriques, present during the incident, assures Curran isn’t the hothead the footage appears to paint. “We haven’t quite understood the context,” he insists, highlighting Curran’s character and leadership both on and off the field.
He believes crucial details, particularly pre- and post-incident communication, haven’t been made public, potentially skewing the narrative. While acknowledging the footage “doesn’t look great,” Henriques argues it lacks the complete picture, leaving him baffled by the seemingly disproportionate penalty.
Talking about how important a player and a human being Tom Curran is, Henriques mentioned, “He’s a great man, he’s a real leader in the community, he’s a leader amongst our team.
“He’s a great man, he’s a real leader in the community, he’s a leader amongst our team. I’m still struggling to comprehend that sort of penalty for what he’s done.”
Sydney Sixers player Tom Curran has been charged with the “intimidation or attempted intimidation of an Umpire, Match Referee, or Medical Personnel” during a match, as stated in an announcement on Thursday night.
The team has initiated the appeal process, but with no set timeline due to the challenges of organizing a hearing during the weekend and close to Christmas. The delay in the initial hearing, taking 10 days, is deemed unusual, adding to the complexities of the situation.
As a consequence of the charges, Curran was absent from the Sixers’ recent nail-biting one-run victory over the Strikers and is likely to miss the upcoming match against the Stars. With the team’s next game scheduled for January 3, it appears that Curran won’t be available until the Sydney Smash against the Thunder on January 12.
Despite the setback, Sixers’ captain Henriques expressed solidarity among the playing group and staff, emphasizing the challenging period Curran has faced over the past 11 days while dealing with this issue.
Henriques remarked, “It’s been a pretty tough time for TC over the last sort of 11 days sitting on this,” reflecting the team’s support for their star import during this challenging period.
